Food for thought:
Any automobile that was manufactured with emissions control systems, and are used on public roads, must have all of the system intact. Tampering with the emissions systems is a federal crime and as far as I know is a crime in all 50 states. The federal fine for "tampering" is $25,000 and is not limited to being imposed upon just professional repair shops.
State and local police who want to be nasty can remove the license plates from a car that has been tampered with, and deny the privliges of driving on public roads until the system is restored to OEM specifications for the model year. Only a few states are currently sticklers about this, California being the leader, but others are statring to become more concerned.
In Ohio the Highway Patrol and some city police have been known to check under the car, and under the hood, for missing cats and other emissions control items, for example the EGR valve.
The states are hurting for money these days and in combination with that fact the federal EPA is putting pressure on them to improve the air quality. The combination could lead to some nasty circumstances for someone caught with a vehicle that has been tampered with. Heads up folks! rangerj
